2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 #001 headed to auction for charity

Following the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500’s debut at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford will use the potent pony car to give back for charity.

Ford announced on Friday that the first production Shelby GT500 will be auctioned off for charity at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale (Arizona) auction in January. Specifically, all proceeds will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to help fund continued research to cure the disease.

Both Edsel Ford II and Aaron Shelby will be on hand to help promote the auction and hopefully bring in well over six figures to benefit the excellent cause. Ford has worked with JDRF for decades and has donated $60 million in the past 35 years.

Thanks to the internet, we already have a good idea of what to expect from the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500. A previous leak showed off the pony car’s exterior, while Ford itself teased the GT500’s engine last month. Expect a 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine that makes more than 700 horsepower. While speculative, the transmission could be the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic that is paired with the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 in the Ford GT. Also expect a set of 20-inch wheels with 315-millimeter tires at the rear. A more aggressive Brembo brake package is allegedly part of the package, too.

The 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 will debut on Jan. 14 in Detroit before sales of the car start in fall of 2019 as a 2020 model. It’s unclear how many model years are on tap for the car. The GT500 will likely be the final shebang for this generation Mustang as a new model is expected for 2022. Judging by what we know so far, it will be a proper going-away present for the sixth-generation Mustang.